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  System and method for pushing encrypted information between a host system and a mobile data communication deviceUSPTO Application #: 20080044029Title: System and method for pushing encrypted information between a host system and a mobile data communication device Abstract: A key distribution scheme for management of keys used for encryption of data items redirected between a messaging server and a mobile device associated with a user. An embodiment comprises one or more of the following: generating a first pair of keys by a redirector component associated with the messaging server, the first pair of keys including a public key and a private key; storing the private key of the first pair of keys at the redirector component and providing the public key of the first pair of keys to a key repository; generating a second pair of keys by the mobile device, the second pair of keys including a public key and a private key; storing the private key of the second pair of keys at the mobile device and providing the public key of the second pair of keys to the key repository; and exchanging the public keys of the first and second pairs of keys between the redirector component and the mobile device. (end of abstract) Agent: Research In Motion, Ltd - Irving, TX, US Inventors: Barry J. Gilhuly, Anh Ngoc Van, Steven M. Rahn, Gary P. Mousseau, Mihal Lazaridis USPTO Applicaton #: 20080044029 - Class: 380278000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Cryptography, Key Management, Key Distribution The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080044029. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/928,983, filed Aug. 13, 2001, entitled "System and Method for Pushing Encrypted Information Between a Host System and a Mobile Data Communication Device." BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention is directed toward the field of redirecting information between a host system and a mobile data communication device. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Present systems and methods for replicating information from a host system to a user's mobile data communication device are typically "synchronization" systems in which the user's data items are warehoused (or stored) at the host system for an indefinite period of time until the user synchronizes the mobile device to the host system. In these types of systems and methods, when replication of the warehoused data items to the mobile device is desired, the user typically places the mobile device in an interface cradle that is electrically connected to the host system via some form of local, dedicated communication, such as a serial cable or an infrared or other type of wireless link. Software executing on the mobile data communication device then transmits commands via the local communications link to the host system to cause the host to begin transmitting the user's data items for storage in a memory bank of the mobile device. [0006] In these synchronization schemes, the mobile unit "pulls" the warehoused information from the host system in a batch-mode each time the user desires to replicate information between the two devices. Thus, the two systems (host and mobile) maintain the same data items only after a user-initiated synchronization sequence. [0007] A general problem with these synchronization systems is the fact that the data in the mobile device is only current at the moment of synchronization with the host. Five minutes later a new message could be sent to the user, but the user would not receive that message until the next time the systems are synchronized. Thus, a user may fail to respond to an emergency update or message because the user only periodically synchronizes the system, such as once per day. [0008] Other problems with these systems include: (1) the amount of data to be reconciled between the host and the mobile device can become large if the user does not "synchronize" on a daily or hourly basis, leading to bandwidth difficulties, particularly when the mobile device is communicating via a wireless packet-switched network; and (2) reconciling large amounts of data, as can accrue in these batch-mode synchronization systems, can require a great deal of communication between the host and the mobile device, thus leading to a more complex, costly and energy-inefficient system. [0009] Thus, there is a general need in this field for a more automated, continuous, efficient, flexible, and reliable system of ensuring that user data items are replicated (in real time) at the user's mobile device. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] A system and method for pushing information from a host system to a mobile data communication device upon sensing a triggering event is provided. A redirector program operating at the host system enables a user to continuously redirect certain user-selected data items from the host system to the user's mobile data communication device upon detecting that one or more user-defined triggering events has occurred. The redirector program operates in connection with event generating applications and repackaging systems at the host system to configure and detect a particular user-defined event, and then to repackage the user-selected data items in an electronic wrapper prior to pushing the data items to the mobile device. [0011] Using the redirector program, the user can select certain data items for redirection, such as E-mail messages, calendar events, meeting notifications, address entries, journal entries, personal reminders etc. Having selected the data items for redirection, the user can then configure one or more event triggers to be sensed by the redirector program, which then initiates redirection of the user data items upon sensing one or more of the event triggers. These user-defined trigger points (or event triggers) may be external events, internal events or networked events. Once an event has triggered redirection of the user data items, the host system then repackages these items in a manner that is transparent to the mobile data communication device, so that information on the mobile device appears similar to information on the user's host system. [0012] The redirector program also provides a set of software-implemented control functions for determining the type of mobile data communication device and its address, for programming a preferred list of message types that are to be redirected, and for determining whether the mobile device can receive and process certain types of message attachments, such as word processor or voice attachments. The mobile device control functions are initially set by the user of the mobile device at the host system. These functions can then be altered on a global or per message basis by transmitting a command message from the mobile device to the host system. [0013] In an alternative embodiment, the redirector program executes on a network server, and the server is programmed to detect numerous redirection event triggers over the network from multiple user desktop computers coupled to the server via a local-area-network ("LAN"). The server can receive internal event triggers from each of the user desktops via the network, and can also receive external event triggers, such as messages from the users' mobile data communication devices. In response to receiving one of these triggers, the server redirects the user's data items to the proper mobile data communication device. This alternative configuration could also include an Internet or Intranet-located web server including the redirector program that could be accessible through a secure Web page or other user interface. In this configuration, the redirector program could be located on an Internet Service Provider ("ISP") system or an Application Service Provider ("ASP") system, and the user would configure (and reconfigure) the program controls over an Internet connection to the ISP or ASP system. [0014] In another embodiment, the redirector program operates at both the host system and at the user's mobile data communication device. In this configuration, the user's mobile device operates similarly to the host system described below, and is configured in a similar fashion to push certain user-selected data items from the mobile device to the user's host system (or some other computer) upon detecting an event trigger at the mobile device. This configuration provides two-way pushing of information from the host to the mobile device and from the mobile device to the host. [0015] A primary advantage of the present invention is that it provides a system and method for triggering the continuous and real-time redirection of user-selected data items from a host system to a mobile data communication device. Other advantages of the present invention include: (1) flexibility in defining the types of user data to redirect, and in defining a preferred list of message types that are to be redirected or preferred senders whose messages are to be redirected; (2) flexibility in configuring the system to respond to numerous internal, external and networked triggering events; (3) transparent repackaging of the user data items in a variety of ways such that the mobile data communication device appears as though it were the host system; (4) integration with other host system components such as E-mail, TCP/IP, keyboard, screen saver, Web pages and certain programs that can either create user data items or be configured to provide trigger points; and (5) the ability to operate locally on a user's desktop system or at a distance via a network server or through a secure Internet connection. [0016] A method of redirecting data items from a messaging host system to a user's mobile device in accordance with an aspect of the invention comprises the steps of detecting a new data item for the user at the messaging host system, forwarding a copy of the new data item to a redirector host system, determining whether the new data item should be redirected from the redirector host system to the user's mobile device, and if the new data item should be redirected, then encrypting the new data item to form an encrypted new data item and packaging the encrypted new data item into an electronic envelope and transmitting the electronic envelope to the user's mobile device. A new data item is preferably also stored in a user's inbox coupled to the messaging host system. New data items may be detected at the host system by determining whether a new data item has been received at the messaging host system for a particular user and checking a forwarding file coupled to the messaging host system to determine whether the particular user's data items should be redirected to the redirector host system. A set of filtering rules, which are preferably remotely configurable by a user, may be applied by the redirector host system in determining whether a new data item should be redirected to the user's mobile device. A configurable activation/deactivation switch is also preferably provided for turning on/off the operation of the redirector host system for a particular user. [0017] At the user's mobile device, the steps of receiving the electronic envelope, extracting the encrypted new data item from the electronic envelope and decrypting the encrypted new data item to recover the new data item are performed. The decrypting step may comprise the step of using a cipher algorithm and a decryption key to decrypt the encrypted new data item. The decryption key may be generated at the redirector host system and forwarded to the mobile device using a secure communications link, such as by using Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) over Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol or a serial connection between the redirector host system and the device. At the redirector host system, the encrypting step may similarly involve a cipher algorithm and an encryption key, which may be generated and stored at the redirector host system. The encryption and decryption keys may instead be generated at a computer system associated with the mobile device or even at the mobile device itself. Public key cryptographic operations are also contemplated. [0018] In a preferred embodiment, the data items are E-mail messages, and the messaging host system is an E-mail host system. In a further embodiment, the messaging host system is an Internet Service Provider. [0019] According to another embodiment, a method of redirecting E-mail messages from a messaging host system to a user's wireless mobile device comprises the steps of detecting an E-mail message for the user at the messaging host system, forwarding a copy of the E-mail message from the messaging host system to a wireless redirector host system, receiving the forwarded E-mail message at the wireless redirector host system and applying a set of user-defined filtering rules that determine whether or not to redirect the E-mail to the user's wireless mobile device via a wireless network coupled to the wireless redirector host system, and if the filtering rules determine that the E-mail message is of the type that should be redirected, then encrypting the E-mail message to form an encrypted E-mail message and redirecting the encrypted E-mail message to the user's wireless mobile device by packaging the encrypted E-mail message in an electronic envelope that includes a wireless network address of the user's wireless mobile device. [0020] A system for redirecting data items from a network to a user's wireless mobile device in accordance with an aspect of the invention comprises a messaging host system coupled to the network for receiving data items associated with a particular user and for forwarding the received data items to a predetermined address on the network and a redirector host system associated with the predetermined address for receiving the forwarded data items from the messaging host system and for encrypting and redirecting those data items to the user's wireless mobile device. The messaging host system may include a sendmail program for receiving and transmitting user data items and a forwarding file containing a list of authorized users of the system, and the predetermined address to which the messaging host system will forward each user's data items. The redirector host system preferably comprises an encryption module that encrypts the forwarded data items from the messaging host system, and the mobile device preferably comprises a decryption module. Encryption and decryption keys used by these modules may be generated and distributed via any of the mechanisms described above. [0021] A still further embodiment of the invention relates to a method of operating a host system configured to redirect E-mail messages from the Internet to a user's wireless mobile device, the method comprising the steps of receiving an E-mail message from the Internet for a particular user, accessing a user profile database to determine whether the particular user is an authorized user of the host system, if the user is an authorized user, then accessing a filter rules database to apply a set of user-defined filtering rules to the E-mail message that dictate whether the E-mail message is the type of message that the user wants to have redirected to its wireless mobile device, and if the E-mail message clears the filtering rules, then encrypting the E-mail message and repackaging the encrypted E-mail message into an electronic envelope including the address of the user's wireless mobile device and forwarding the electronic envelope to a wireless gateway system for transmission onto a wireless data network associated with the user's wireless mobile device. 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